By Tom Cadrin

Between Samwell, the bald exclamation point, and Doc Thompson, the man in the red suit, could be found Mofo ~ covered in chains, Zigabot, crushing the funkiest of fros, and Skille-Lee beating what you know about metal and funk into submission. King Hell, the funkiest metal rhythm and blues outfit to be released from the Big Apple since you started walking, hit Ralph’s Rock Diner on April 4th. The fact that the place is still standing after this scorching behemoth rolled through reinforces the notion that metal, funk and a good time really can hold up the world.

From the get go, King Hell brought it. Dressed each in their distinct personality outfits, they are a spectacle. Samwell and Doc Thompson as co-lead singers compliment each other to perfection. Their voices blend as one when they’re belting and grooving in a symbiotic display of controlled destruction. While the front men did their thing ~ tossing vocals back and forth like a ball in a tennis match ~ guitarist Mofo brought the scooped tone that makes your toes curl. Decked out in chains in spikes, Mofo made the sometimes uneasy alliance between metal and funk seem like a cake walk. But with metal’s need for a clockwork beat and funk’s determination to playfully hop around it, one would think that King Hell has reached an irreconcilable contradiction. Absolutely not. Skille-Lee (drums) and Zigabot (bass) presented a blasting groove, resulting in nothing less than a sweat-inducing, fist pump/booty shake dance move I didn’t know I had.

King Hell goes beyond the music. Presenting a performance, assuming personalities and sticking to their guns all the way to hell, they’ll leave you wanting more…lots more.

Check them out online at www.myspace.com/kinghellions.